I went in the Mugga Lane entrance this morning and set up my hide between the blackberries and the fence into the quarry. There was a great variety of little birds there, though the position I was in made it difficult to get decent photos. Of special interest (to me, at any rate) were three birds I had not seen on Callum Brae before.
Grey shrike thrush (GST) with mixed feeding flock. I had to consider the possibility of it being a female golden whistler, so I played the GW playback and immediately a female GW appeared, and it was a different and much smaller bird than the one I reckoned was a GST. GST made no noise and moved on very quickly with a mixed feeding flock.
White-eared honeyeater. Have heard them previously, but today was the first time one materialised to confirm that I was hearing the right bird.
White-browed scrub wrens.
Then there were many others usually seen in that location.
Silvereye
Spotted and striated pardalotes
Grey fantail
Superb fairy-wren
Weebill
Striated thornbill
Brown thornbill
Scarlet robin
Noisy miner
Raven
Various psittacines.
Missing in action today were speckled warbler and red-browed firetail.
I seem to remember some suggestion that that corner of the quarry might some day become a part of Callum Brae. I do hope this is true, because that corner is usually a great place to find little birds.
Margaret Leggoe
